Shwezigon Pagoda | Buddhist Stupa | Nyaung-U | Myanmar | Burma

Shwezigon Pagoda | Buddhist Stupa | Nyaung-U | Myanmar | Burma

The Shwezigon Pagoda or Shwezigon Paya is a Buddhist temple located between the villages of Wetkyi-in and Nyaung U in Bagan. The construction began during the reign of King Anawrahta and was completed in 1102 AD, during the reign of King Kyansittha of the Pagan Dynasty, the pagoda is one of the most significant religious buildings in Myanmar (Burma).

It consists of a circular gold leaf-gilded stupa surrounded by smaller temples and shrines. According to legend, this pagoda retains one of the four replicas of the Buddha tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and it was built to mark the northern edge of the city. The beautiful shape of Shwezigon Pagoda has become the prototype for almost later pagodas all over Myanmar (Burma).

Within the compound of the Shwezigon Pagoda is a stone pillar containing Mon language inscriptions dedicated by King Kyansittha.